Public presentation of the EBA-approved EST Crash Buffer in the versions
G1-100 (in accordance with UIC 526 for freight wagons and locomotives) and
R1-100 (in accordance with UIC 528 for passenger coaches)
at the InnoTrans fair in Berlin.

2003:

Honing of the EST Crash Buffer:
introduction of the product generation "-200" with
fine-tuned force-deflection characteristics and a service-optimized design.

Derivation of the 400 kJ/800 kJ-variant G1-200 K and
the diagonal buffer variant X1 of the EST Crash Buffer.

Presentation of the EST Crash Buffer at the working group
"Tank- und Fahrzeugtechnik" (tank and vehicle design) of BMVBW
(Federal German transportation ministery), Bonn.

Series production of the EST Crash Buffer G1 begins, with deliveries to
Vossloh for the customer SBB.

Development of the deformation system EST Duplex G1.A1
consisting of the EST Crash Buffer G1 and the EST Absorber Block A1.

Crash testing with DB locomotives in cooperation with DB/Railion Deutschland.

2004:

Series production of the EST deformation system Duplex G1.A1 begins,
with deliveries to Bombardier for the customers SBB (Class Re484)
and DB/Railion (Class 185.2, 146.2).

Successful completion of the longterm field-testing of the EST Crash Buffer by DB
with electric locomotives, diesel locomotives
and double-decker passenger coaches after one year.

First series deliveries of the EST Crash Buffer G1-200 K
in accordance with the dangerous goods transportation guideline
(Gefahrgutverordnung) RID 2005 for hazardeous goods tank wagons.

Approval of CFL Série 4000 with EST Crash Buffers G1-200 M in France.

The EST order book allows to predict that the total number of rail vehicles
which are equipped with EST Crash Buffers or Duplex deformation systems
will more than double in the
course of the year 2006.

(Foto: EST)

2006:

Up to the beginning of the year 2006, the EST Crash Buffer
and Duplex deformation systems have already proven successful in seven real
vehicle collisions and severe impacts. In all of these events, the EST
deformation systems have proven both the non-triggering
of the crash function, where no activation of the crash function was necessary,
and the reliable triggering in the case of high collision energies.
No damages to the vehicle structures were observed in any of the events.

Presentation of the EST deformation system Duplex G2.A2 at the InnoTrans fair in Berlin.
The deformation system comprises the EST Supra Buffer G2-100 MC with hydraulically
dampened 70 kJ elastic system.

Innovation Award of the State of Baden-Württemberg 2006:
Dr.-Rudolf-Eberle-Preis.
EST is honoured with a special award for its
"Energy absorbing, crashworthy railway buffer".

2007:

With BLS, MRCE and MWB, three private locomotive fleet operators opt for the rigorous retrofit
of large parts of their vehicle fleets, as far as not equipped with crash energy absorbers from
new, with EST Crash Buffers type G1-200 M. The decision is rewarded with reductions in the annual
insurance fees by locomotive insurance companies.

The dangerous goods tank wagon fleet operators WASCOSA and NACCO decide to use the
EST Crash Buffers type Typs G1-200 R for retrofit projects and G1-200 K fpr newly built vehicles.
The first new-built tank wagons with EST Crash Buffers are granted European approval in accordance with
TSI WAG, which has become effective from February 2007 on.

Series production of the EST Supra Buffer G2 starts. The buffers type G2-100 MC are
delivered to SKODA for the
three-system electric locomotive Class 109E and VOITH for the diesel locomotives
Class Maxima 40CC and 30CC.

Series deliveries of the EST Supra Buffer type G2-100 MB to Bombardier begin. The buffers
are used for the TRAXX freight locomotives of RENFE Mercancias (Spain).
The final assembly of these locomotives takes place at Bombardier Italia in Vado Ligure, because
the capacities of Bombardier in Germany do no longer suffice to meet the great success
of the TRAXX locomotive platform family.

Series production of the EST Crash Buffer type R1-200 S-IR for Indian Railways starts.

In 2007, more than 2000 EST Crash Buffers and Duplex deformation units are produced and supplied.
Annual production of the EST Crash Buffer has more than doubled when compared with the year 2006.

2008:

As one of the biggest European tank wagon leasing companies, GATX opts for EST Crash Buffers
in the manufacture of newly built dangerous goods tank wagons,
as well as in the retro-fit of existing vehicles.

Cargo Rail Service Center (CRSC) includes the EST Crash Buffer in its spare parts programme
and reaches an agreement with EST for the provision of a flexible stock, which ensures the
CRSC members the ready availability of EST Crash Buffers for accident repair
and retrofit campaigns.

During the course of the year 2009, the total number of EST Crash Buffer and Deformation Systems
produced to date rises beyond 10'000 pieces. Hence, the number of rail vehicles
that are in service in Europe and worldwide and that are equipped with Crash Buffers
or energy absorbers from EST reaches 2500.

At the InnoTrans fair in berlin, EST enjoys unprecedented success.
At the fairground, no less than 9 locomotives are shown
(from Voith, Bombardier, Skoda, Vossloh and others) that are equipped with EST safety components.
gezeigt, welche mit Sicherheitskomponenten von EST ausgestattet sind.

After the acquisition of new double-decker carriages and driving trailers from Bombardier in 2008
(which are equipped with EST Crash Buffers type R1)
Polish private railway KM Koleje Mazowieckie awarded Bombardier the production of
new TRAXX locomotives (which are equipped with EST Deformation Systems type G1.A1) for
the push/pull traction of their passenger trainb rakes. Thus, from 2011 on,
for the first time, entirely crash-optimized passenger train sets will be operated that
are equipped with the safety components from EST.

2011:

WASCOSA makes its first follow-up order for 37 especially safe tank wagons, which are
designed similar to the "Safe Tank Car ®" and equipped with Supra Buffers type G2
and Anti-Climbing Modules type AC04 from EST.

ÖBB fits EST Crash Buffers to the headstock of the low-loader wagons for more than
100 RoLa rolling road trains.

ARETZ is yet another tank wagon lessor that makes a strategic decision for the EST Crash Buffers.

EST celebrates its 10th anniversary.

(Photo: Wolfgang Mauser)

2012:

GATX awards EST the largest single order for 1000 pieces of Crash Buffer type G1-200 K
in the company history of EST.

SKODA starts operating its new EMU type RegioPanter (CD Class 640). This is the first vehicle
to use the innovative Anti-Climbing Module AC06 from EST, which forms an integral part
of the vehicle crash concept.

Voith takes up the series production of the larger Gravita 15 BB locomotive - equipped with
EST Crash Buffers. DB is one of the customers.

TUVASAS builds new sleeper coaches for Bulgarian State Railway BDZ, which start service in 2013
and are equipped with EST Crash Buffer type R1-200 XS in order to fulfil the European crash standards.

2013:

The very first EST Crash Buffers have now been in service for 10 years and have covered in this period distances of around 1 million kilometers
on locomotives, or even more on passenger coaches. This is an excellent service life and evidence of extremely low wear and life cycle costing (LCC).

Deliveries of the EST Crash Buffers type R1-200 M start for the Bombardier TWINDEXX double-decker coaches generation Do 2010 for DB.
In the next years, several hundred of the TWINDEXX coaches will be built for DB.

Tatravagonka starts with the production of 450 tank wagons for light and heavy mineral oil,
which have been ordered by Swiss tank wagon lessor Wascosa.
The wagons are trademarked "Tankcar 3000" and have been conceived especially for a long-term rental contract with a renowned oil company.
They are equipped with EST Supra Buffers G2 and Anti-Climbing Modules AC04. The quantity of vehicles is just as impressive as
the fact it was the oil company's request that for the very first time, mineral oil tank wagons shall be voluntarily brought to the same
accident protection level as hazardeous goods tank wagons, acting by the "Responsible Care" principle.

EST wins the order for the crashworthy front end in the TALGO high-speed train for Saudi-Arabia. The vehicles will be built from 2014.

2014:

For hazardeous goods tank wagons, EST presents the weight-optimized Supra Buffer G2-200 M, which allows to optimize vehicle pay
load especially when combined with Anti-Climbing Module AC04. This new crash buffer generation is first used on the Wascosa mineral oil wagons.

RBH, a subsidiary of DB, retrofits its fleet of Class 143 locomotives with high-performance buffers, relying upon the well-proven EST Crash Buffers type G1-200 M.
Shortly thereafter, DB Schenker started with a similar retrofitting campaign for their Class 185.1 freight locomotives.

In the refurbishment of older existing locomotives, Softronic in Romania is integrating the large multi-stage deformation systems type EST Duplex G2.A2.
Thus, for the first time, a consequent modernization incorporates the state of the art in vehicle crash safety. The first in the series of these
freshened vehicles is presented at the InnoTrans fair 2014 in Berlin.

Skoda Transportation in the Czech Republic create the NIM-Express train (Nürnberg-Ingolstadt-München),
a double-decker push-pull passenger train with locomotive and driving trailer for DB.
For this interesting project, the vehicle manufacturer once again relies on the safety components from EST.